Air conditioning system for railway cars



Sept. 16, 1941. K. F. NYS-TROM AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM FOR RAILWAY CARSOriginal Filed Feb. 23, 1934 5 Sheets-Sheet l fizz/e2; far

A tiorngys Original Filed Feb. 2:s.' 1954 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 p 1941- K.NYSTROM 2,256,350

7 AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM FOR RAILWAY CARS Original Filed Feb. 23, 19345 Sheets-Sheet 3 Inventor [far] F. N346 from Sept. 16, 1941'. ,K. F.NYSTROM AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM FOR RAILWAY CARS Original Filed Feb. 23,1954 5 Sheets-Si1eet'4 I fill/87117? ff ar/ 1". Nysffam 199 z- Attorneysf Sept. 16, 1941, K.F. N YSTROM ,3

AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM FOR RAILWAY CARS original Filed Feb. 23, 1934 5Sheets-Sheet 5 Kar/F/y/sfiwz. a v

I Affarizgg s I Patented Sept. 16, 1941 AIR CONDITIONINGCgSSTEM FORRAILWAY Karl F. Nystrom, Milwaukee, Wis.

Continuation of application Serial No. 712,449, February 23, 1934. Thisapplication December 8, 1937, Serial No. 178,821

11 Claims.

This invention relates to air conditioning systems for passengervehicles, such as railway cars, busses and the like.

' One of the objects of the invention is the provision of a newandimproved air conditioning system for railway cars for recirculatingthe air within the car, supplying the required amount of fresh air tothe passenger compartment, properly distributing the same uniformly toall parts of the ear, utilizing the circulating air as a medium of heatexchange for maintaining the interior of the car at the desiredtemperature and controlling the circulation of the air to avoiobjectionable drafts.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a new and improvedair conditioning system for railway cars having a novel system ofcontrol whereby the interior of the car may be automatically maintainedat a desired predetermined temperature when the car is in use and whennot in use the car may be supplied with sufficient heat to preventfreezing without operating the entire system.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an air conditioningsystem for passenger cars which will automatically recirculate the airwithin the car and will introduce the required amount of fresh air anddischarge foul air from theends of the car only, wherebythe-intermediate or passenger compartment is maintained at slightlysuper-atmospheric pressure, thereby insuring proper circulation of theair within the car.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a new and improvedsystem for supplying conditioned air to a passenger car that is simplein construction, efficient in operation, and

has mechanism for controlling both the volume of air circulated and thedirection of flow of the air currents within the car. c

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will appearfrom the following description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, in which Fig. l is a vertical section of one end of a railwaycar, taken on the line ll of Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of one end of a railway car, a sectionbeing taken above the main duct and air conditioning mechanism of thecar, with parts broken away;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of a railway car with the heating andventilating system installed and shown diagrammatically;

Fig. 5 is a vertical section of a portion of the Fig. 6 is a verticalsection of the partition between the lavatory and passenger compartment;Fig. 7 is a cross-section on the line 1-| of Fig. 1;

Fig. 8 is a vertical sectionthrough one of the air conduits showing thedeflector in position therein on an enlarged scale;

Fig. 9 is a diagrammatic view of the heating systems and the controlstherefor;

Fig. 10 is a section similar to that shown in Fig. 8 but showing amodified form of deflector on the line I0-Ill of Fig. 11;

Fig. 11 is a view at right angles to that shown in Fig. 10, with partsbroken away;

Fig. -12 is a horizontal section of a modified form of air duct andconduits; and

Fig. 13 is an elevation of a portion of the outer wall of a toiletshowing a modified form of exhaust for the ventilating system.

This application is a continuation of my application, Serial No.712,449, filed February 23, 1934, for Air conditioning system forrailway cars.

Referring nowto the drawings, the reference character l0 designates apassenger vehicle which in the embodiment of the invention shown is arailway car or coach having at each end what, for convenience ofdescription, will be termed a lavatory or smoking compartment H, atoilet l2, a vestibule l3 and a passage or corridor I4 extending fromthe end of the car alongside the toilet and lavatory compartments intothe passenger compartment l5 inwardly of the lavatory. The lavatorycompartment contains one or more seats 200 and a wash basin 20 as isconventional in such structures. The corridor or passage is separatedfrom the vestibule by the usual door and partition 20.

Since the structure at each end of the. car is generally similar, it isnot thought necessary to describe both in detail. I

A partition l6 separates the lavatory compartment from the toilet, andis provided with a door w H, Fig. 2, having grill openings 18therethrough.

The outer wall I8 of the toilet is provided with a grill opening 2| inits upper portion which constitutes a discharge outlet for theventilating system of the car, as will presently appear.

The vestibule I3 is providedwith a door 22 having in its upper portion amovable glass panel or window 23 which is adapted to be raised andlowered by the window operating device 24 ofthe usual or any well-knownconstruction.

The top and sides of the car comprise the outer wall II and the innerwall or trim 20 (see Fig. 7). The outerwall may, and preferably does,extend continuously over the top of the car to form the roof '21. Theceiling 28 is spaced from the roof 21 to form an air space 26 withinwhich the air ducts or conduits for the ventilating and heating systemare mounted, as will presently appear.

Suitable means are provided for supplying the car with conditioned air.In the form of construction selected to illustrate one embodiment of theinvention, a heating and ventilating system is employed whichrecirculates air within the car, maintains the car at slightly aboveatmosshown in Figs. 1, 4 and'l. Each of the ducts is tapered toward itsinner end and is supported by cross members 23 which support the ceilingand is held in position by clamps 34 secured to said cross members andhaving flanges extending over the upper edges of said ducts (see Fig. 7)

The ducts are spaced from the roof 21, thereby providing air space forinsulating the duct from the roof. The ducts are also provided withinsulation 35 which extends about the same for further protecting theair flowing therethrough from temperature changes in the external air.

The ducts SI and 32 are provided with branch ducts or conduits 38 whichextend downwardly between the inner and outer walls of the car at eachside of the windows throughout the length of the car on each sidethereof. In order to avoid turbulence in the movement of the air fromthe ducts into the branch ducts, the inner ends of the branch ducts may,if desired, be curved to extend'at an angle of 45 to the axes of theducts, the side walls of these ducts being curved as at 36 and 31. I

Each of the branch ducts or conduits is provided with a grill dischargeopening 28 for the cool air and a discharge opening 38 adjacent thefloor 4! of the car through which warm air is adapted to be discharged.The opening 38 is provided with deflectors 421.for directing the airdischarged through the same upwardly and inwardly, as shown in Fig. 7.

Each of the ducts 3| and 32 is provided with means for causing the airto flow from the outer ends thereof toward the center of the car. Inorder to conserve space, the mechanism for circulating air and forconditioning same is mounted in the space between the roof and ceilingabove the toilets and corridors. This mechanism comprises a pair ofblowers 43 and 44 mounted on a platform 45. This platform comprises anangle bar 46 and a U-bar 41 extending from side to side of the car andto which are rigidly connected supporting bars 48 and 49. The blowers 43and 44 are spaced from each other and have their intakes on theiradjacent sides. The discharge outlets of the blowers are connected toThe blower: are preferably, though not necelsarily, mounted on a singleshaft II and are operated by an electric motor II which is convenientlylocated over the vestibule between the roof and the ceiling. The powershaft ll may be connected directly to the armature shaft of the motor.

It is desirable to employ a plurality of blowers in order to reduceturbulence in the movement of the air. Furthermore, by using a pluralityof blowers, each is of sufliciently small dimension that they may bemounted in the space between the roof and ceiling of the ear. Theblowers are provided with a housing 51 having an opening in its sidefacing the end of the car. Suitable air conditioning mechanism 58 ispositioned in front of this opening so that all of the air supplied tothe blowers must pass through this mechanism. As shown, this mechanismcomprises a heating radiator 59 and an air cooling device 6|. heatradiator 59 is supplied with the heating fluid, such as steam or thelike, through th pipes 62 and 63, Fig. 1, which are in communicationwith the steam pipes of the train. The cooling mechanism 6| comprises aconventional cooling coil 58 through which is circulated cooling fluidfrom the refrigerator 18 by means of the pipes 88.

The blowers 43 and 44 and air conditioning mechanism 58 are mountedwithin a compartment 6|! formed by the roof and ceiling of the car andby the bulkhead 64 onone side and a partition 65 on the other extendingfrom side to side of the car.

- A suitable inlet is provided through which air is withdrawn by theblowers from the car and recirculated. In the construction shown, aninlet 66 is provided in the ceiling 61 above the corridor I4 adjacentthe end of the car. An air filter 68 is mounted in the inlet 66. Theinlet 66 is preferably located beneath the motor whereby when the filteris removed, access may be had to the motor.

In order to prevent the air within the car from becoming stale, alimited amount of fresh air is supplied to the system eithercontinuously or as is required. Under about 25 per cent fresh air orless added to the air passing through the blowers is all that isnecessary. This air is supplied to the system through an intake opening68 located in the roof of the vestibule. This opening is provided withaseparate filter II. A conduit 12 extends upwardly and inwardly from thefllter and delivers air through the bulkhead 64 into the airconditioning compartment 68. The conduit I2 is provided with a damper 13for controlling the amount of air passing through the conduit. Thisdamper comprises a plurality of louvres which are operated by a handlemember 14 extending through ceiling 61. The fresh air supplied to thesystem is taken from the vestibule for the reason that the latter willact as a settling chamber for any 5 dust contained in the air.Ordinarily, suilicient fresh air from the outside will leak into thevestibule to supply the car, but if the parts be so tightly constructedthat a sufficient amount of fresh air is not furnished, the window 23may be lowered to supply the additional'air from th outside.

In the operation of the device, air is withdrawn from the passage orcorridor through the opening 66 at each end of the car, and this airpasses through the air conditioning mechanism 58 and is discharged bythe blowers into the ducts 3| and 32 at the ends of the car. FromTheordinary circumstances 4 'aesaeeo these ducts, the air passesdownwardly along the conduits 30 and if the car is being cooled, the airwill be discharged through the opening 38, Fig. 1. If the car is beingheated, air will be discharged through the opening 39.

Suitable means are provided for closing ,the opening 38 for causing theairto be discharged through'the grill 39 beneath the seats when it isdesired to heat the car. This mechanism comprises a closure I5, Fig. 8,hinged at its lower end, as at I6, and provided with an operatingmechanism which comprises a threaded rod 11 having thereon a travellingnut I8 connected by a link I9 to the closure I5. The rod TI is adapt-,ed to be rotated by a removable key 8|. When the closure I is in theposition shown in Fig. 8, air flowing down the conduits 30 will bedischarged through the opening 38. During the warm season of the year,the closure is adjusted to the position shown in Fig. 8, and remains inthat position. When in this position, noheat is being supplied to theradiator 59 and the coil 50 is being supplied with a coolingfluid fromthe refrigerator I0 beneath the car. When it is desired to heat the car,the heat is turned on to supply a heating fluid to the radiator 59,cooling coils are turned off and the closure 15 is moved to a positionto close the opening 38.

= Suitable means are provided for controlling the amount of heatsupplied to the car and for controlling the operation of the mechanism.In I Fig. 9 is shown diagrammatically a system of electric controls. Thediagram shown in this figure is used for illustrative purposes only,since in actual practice any of the standard control systems now on themarket may be employed. It is desirable that the temperature within thecar shall be maintained between predetermined.

limits, as, for instance, between 70 F. and 74F.

A thermostat 82"is mounted at a suitable place on the inner wall of thecar and is provided with the usual mechanism for setting the same sothat it will operate between selected predetermined temperature limits.An electromagnetic valve 83 in the heating pipe 62 is adapted to beoperated through the thermostat when the temperature within the carrises above or falls below those limits. The thermostat is supplied withcurrent through the conductor 84 from the train line 85 and when thetemperature rises above a predetermined degree, the circuit is closedthrough the conductor 84, the thermostat 82, a conductor 86, valveoperating mechanism 90 and a conductor 81 back to the other train line88 for closing the valve 83. When the temperature falls 'below apredetermined degree, the circuit will be closed through the conductor88, thermostat 82, conductor 89, the member 90 and the conductor 8'! foropening the valve 83 and permitting the heating fluid to pass to theradiator.

A thermostat 9| is also provided in the main duct 32 f0! controlling theflow of heating fluid through the pipe 82. For the purpose ofillustrating the invention, a separate valve 92 is shown which isadapted to be operated by the thermostat 9|. The thermostat is soconstructed that the valvewill be closed when the termperature withinthe main duct 32 rises above a predetermined degree, as for instance 110F., and will open the valve when the temperature in the duct falls belowthat degree. Since the heated air is delivered beneath the seats, thiscontrol is provided for preventing even temporarily the introduction ofair at an uncomfortable, hot temfails during the cool season, means areprovided for changing the fan to low speed when the temperature in theduct falls below a predetermined amount. In practice, a thermostat 91mounted in the duct 32 is employed for closing the circuit through amotor control mechanism 98 when the temperature in the duct falls below40 F. When the temperature rises above that degree, the controlmechanism 98 is operated to increase the speed of the fan back tonormal. Since the wiring is substantially the same as that alreadydescribed, it is not thought necessary to repeat the same.

It is desirable that means be provided for preventing the temperaturewithin the car from falling below the freezing point when the car isunoccupied, or when the primary heating system fails for any reasonwhatever. A secondary heating system is employed for this purpose.

This system comprises a heat radiator 99 (see Figs. 2, 6 and 9) mountedbetween the walls IOI and I02 of the partition betweenv the lavatory andthe passenger compartment (see Fig. 2). The heating radiator is adaptedto be supplied by heating fluid from the main steam line through a pipeI03 havinga valve I 04 adapted to be operated by an electromagneticdevice I05. A thermostat I08 is mounted on a wall of the passengercompartment and is set to close a circuit through the valve operatingmechanism I05 when the temperature falls below a predetermined degree,as, for example, 40 F., for opening the valve I04. When the temperaturerises above 40 F., a circuit is closed through the valveoperatingmechanism I05 for closing the valve I04. The wall I M adjacentthe passenger compartment is provided adjacent the floor'with an inletgrill opening I2I and with a discharge grill outlet opening I22 adjacentits upper por- 'tion. In the secondary heating system, air will passfrom the passenger car through the inlet I2I upwardly past the radiatorand will be disfharlged outwardly through the upper grill open- The pipe62, Fig. 1, of the main heating system is provided with a heat radiatorI01 within the outer walls of the lavatory. When it is desired toprevent freezing within the car while it is unoccupied, the fan isturned oil and the heat supplied by the radiators 59, 99 and I01, Fig.9, will warm the car by convection.

In Figs. 10 and 11 is shown a modified form of construction forautomatically controlling the operation of the valve- I5. In thisconstruction,

type III is mounted on the plate I08 and is provided with a plunger II2which is pivotally connected to one arm of a bell crank II3, the otherarm of which is connected to a link Ill.

The link H4 is pivotaily connected to a lug H5 carried by the closureI09. In the operation oi the device, when the temperature within theconduit 30 falls below a predetermined'minimum,

the thermostat will contract and open the valve to the position shown inFigs. and 11. If desired, a spring attached to the crank arm H3 may beemployed for assisting in opening the closure when the bellowscontracts. When the air is supplied to the conduits at a temperatureabove this degree, the thermostat will expand to move the closure I09 toclose the opening in the plate I08, whereby the warm air will bedischarged through the lower opening in the conduit.

In Fig. 12 is shown a modified form of the duct and conduits. In thisform of the construction, a pair of deflectors H6 and H1 are provided atthe junction of the conduits H8 and H9 with the main duct I20. Thesedeflectors are positively held in adjusted position and are adapted tobe adjusted when the air conditioning system is installed. Theadjustment is such that an equal distribution of the air is providedthrough all of the ducts.

In Fig. 13 is shown a modified form of exhaust for the ventilatingsystem which comprises an opening 123 in the outside wall I24 of thetoilet in which is mounted an electric exhaust fan I25. This fan may, ifdesired, be operated from the lighting circuit of the train.

It is thought from the foregoing taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings that the construction and operation of my devicewill means to condition the air passing through the ducts, a hot airoutlet provided in each branch duct, a cold air outlet provided in eachbranch duct above each hot air outlet, and temperature controlled meansincluding thermo-sensitive elements provided within each branch duct fordirecting the conditioned air through either the hot air outlets or thecold air outlets.

2. In an air conditioning system for railroad cars, an air mixingcompartment provided in the upper part of the car above the passengercompartment for receiving air from the passenger compartment and freshair from the exterior of said car, a pair of main ducts centrallypositioned end to end, branch ducts extending downwardly from each sideof the main ducts to the passenger compartment, means to force air fromsaid mixing compartment through the main and branch ducts, means tocondition the air passing through the ducts, a hot air outlet providedin each branch duct, a cold air outlet provided in each branch ductabove each hot air outlet, and means including a temperature responsiveelement within each branch duct for directing the conditioned airthrough either the hot air outlets or the cold air outlets.

'3. In a passenger car having inner and outer side walls, a ceiling anda roof, an air duct between the roof and ceiling and having passagesextending from said duct downwardly between the inner and outer sidewalls of said car, said inner well being provided with an upper and alower opening for each or said passages, and means for independentlyautomatically closing the upper openings when the temperatures withinthe corresponding passages rise above predetermined degrees,respectively.

.4. In an air conditioning system for railway cars, a main air ductextending longitudinally of the car from one end thereof above thepassenger compartment, branch conduits extending downwardly within theside walls of the car, cold air outlets for'said conduits through theupper portions of said walls, warm air outlets for said conduits throughthe lower portions of said walls, means including temperature responsivemechanism within said conduits for establishing communication betweensaid conduits and said cold air outlets and for closing communicationbetween said conduits and said warm air outlets only when the air withinsaid conduits falls below a predetermined temperature, means forconditioning air supplied to said duct, means for circulating saidconditioned air through said duct, means for recirculating air throughthe air conditioning mechanism, conduits and car,

-and means responsive to the temperature of the air flowing along saidduct for controlling the volume of air flowing through said duct.

5. In a railway car having a roof and a passenger compartment, an airconditioning apparatus, a duct above said compartment extendinglongitudinally of said car constituting a discharge passage for saidapparatus, branch conduits extending from said duct downwardly withinthe side walls of said car and'having upper and lower openings fordischarging conditioned air into said passenger compartment from saidduct, a fan for circulating air through said duct and conduits at auniform velocity during the normal operation of said apparatus, a motordriving said fan at a single, uniform, relatively high speed duringnormal operation, means for closing the upper openings, temperatureresponsive means within said conduits for operating said closing meanswhen the air in said conduits rises above a predetermined temperature,means within said duct for controlling the temperature of the airflowing along said duct, motor control means including a temperatureresponsive device within said duct for reducing the velocity of said airby abruptly reducing'the speed of said motor and fan to a second,uniform, relatively low speed, said temperature responsive means beingoperative to reduce said motor and fan speed only when, the air in saidduct falls below a predetermined temperature, and means within saidpassenger compartment for controlling the air conditioning apparatus.

6. In a railway car, air conditioning apparatus including blower meansfor supplying conditioned air to said car, said blower means operatingat a uniform speed during the normal operation of the apparatus above apredetermined minimum temperature; conduit means extending throughoutthe greater portion of the length of the car for conducting conditionedair from said apparatus and for distributing the same in said car,thermally actuated means responsive to the temperature within said carfor controlling said air conditioning apparatus, temperaturesresponsivemeans in said conduit for automatically and promptly reducing the speedof said blower means temperature responsive means within said car forcausing the operation of said auxiliary heating means when the airwithin said car falls below a predetermined minimum temperature.

7. In an air conditioning system for railway cars, an air duct extendinginwardly along the center line of the car above the passengercompartment, branch conduits extending downwardly from said duct withinthe side walls of said car, cool air discharge outlets for said'conduitsthrough the upper portions of said walls, warm air outlets in the lowerportions of said conduits, means including temperature responsiveelements within said conduits for automatically opening said cool airoutlets when the temperature of the air within said conduits falls belowa predetermined amount, and means responsive to the temperature of theair flowing along said conduit for reducing the volume of cool airdischarged through said cool air outlets when the temperature in saidduct falls below a predetermined minimum.

8. In an air conditioning system for railway cars, a main air duct, airconduits in communication with said duct, means for recirculating air inthe car, each conduit having an upper cool air discharge outlet and alower warm air discharge outlet, a closure for said upper outlet, andtemperature responsive means wholly within said conduits for closingsaid upper outlets,'said closures opening inwardly into said conduitsfor constituting deflectors for deflecting cool air outwardly throughsaid outlet openings into the passenger compartment of said car. I/

9. In a railway car having a vestibule, toilet and lavatory compartmentsat each end of said car, a passenger comprtment in the intermediateportion of said car and a corridor at each end of said car between saidvestibule and passenger compartment and extending between said lavatoryand one side of said car, a door between said toilet and lavatorycompartments having a grill opening therethrough, a mixing chamberbetween the roof and ceiling at each end of the car, an air ductextending inwardly from each end of said car between the roof andceiling at each end of the car, air conditioning mechanism within saidmixing chamber, an air inlet above said corridor at each end of said caropening into said chamber, a pair of blowers for each duct for causingair to be recirculated through said car, air conditioning device andducts, a fresh air inlet above said vestibule, a conduit for conductingair from said vestibule to said mixing chamher, and means forcontrolling the amount of fresh air supplied to said mixing chamber andan outlet through the external wall of said toilet for dischargingrecirculated foul air to the atmosphere without interfering with themechanism for recirculating said air within the car.

10. In a'railway car, an air conditioning system for 'said car, saidsystem comprising a duct extending longitudinally along the upperportion of the car, a plurality of conduits extending downwardly fromsaid duct between the inner and outer walls at both sides of the car,said walls and conduits having alined openings through which air may bedelivered to the interior of said car from said duct,.and temperaturecontrolled means between said walls, said means including temperatureresponsive members controlled by the temperature of the air in saidconduits for automatically opening and clos-- ing each of said openingsindependently of the remainder.

11. In a ventilating system for passenger vehicles having a passengercompartment, a smoking compartment, a corridor and a vestibule at eachend of the car, main ducts extending longitudinally of said car fromeach end thereof above said passenger compartment, said ducts taperinginwardly from the ends of the car; branch conduits extending downwardlyfrom said ducts within the side walls of ,said car, means for causingair to recirculate through said ducts, conduits, passenger compartmentand corridors, means for discharging air through the side wall of saidcar into the atmosphere after the same has passed through said smokingcompartment from said passenger compartment, means for introducing freshair from said vestibules into said main ducts, and means for controllingthe amount of external air introduced into said vestibules.

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